Apparatus for a no touch lavatory door

• US 8,888,045 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Boren, Kelly L., Satermo, Eric Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US13/741,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20140196372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 49/25, 244/118.5, 244/129.4, 244/129.5, 52/64, 52/65, 521/74, 109/59.R, 109/59.T, 109/64, 109/73, 296/24.3, 292/341.17
• US Class Current: 244/129.5
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/112 for restrooms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/502 for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A no touch lavatory has a first sensor outside the lavatory that is operable to cause a motor assembly to open the door of the lavatory in response to a person making a motion in close proximity to the first sensor, a second sensor inside the lavatory that causes the motor assembly to close the door and causes a lock to lock the door in response to the second sensor detecting the person entering the lavatory, and a third sensor inside the lavatory that causes the lock to unlock the door and causes the motor assembly to open the door in response to the third sensor detecting a motion made by the person inside the lavatory.

Claims

1. A lavatory comprising:

an enclosure having at least one wall;

a doorway opening adjacent the wall;

a door in the doorway opening;

a cavity recessed into at least one of the door and the wall, the cavity having a cavity opening;

a first sensor inside the cavity behind the cavity opening, the first sensor being operable to detect a signal in close proximity to the first sensor inside the cavity from a person that is outside the lavatory and to output an open command in response to the signal; and

,

a motor assembly operatively connected to the first sensor and the door, the motor assembly being operable to open the door in the doorway opening in response to the open command output by the first sensor.

2. The lavatory of claim 1, further comprising:

the cavity being recessed into a generally vertical surface of at least one of the door and the wall.

3. The lavatory of claim 1, further comprising:

the cavity having at least one cavity sidewall extending into the cavity to a cavity backwall at an opposite side of the cavity from the cavity opening; and

,

the first sensor being on the cavity sidewall between the cavity opening and the cavity backwall.

4. The lavatory of claim 1, further comprising:

the first sensor being operable to detect a motion signal inside the cavity from a person outside the lavatory and to output the open command in response to the detected motion signal inside the cavity.

5. The lavatory of claim 1, further comprising:

the first sensor being operable to detect a heat signal inside the cavity from a person outside the lavatory and to output the open command in response to the detected heat signal inside the cavity.

6. The lavatory of claim 1, further comprising:

the first sensor being operatively connected to a mechanical device that is operable to control the first sensor to output the open command in response to the mechanical device being touched by a person.

7. The lavatory of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor inside the lavatory, the sensor inside the lavatory being operable to detect a signal from a person inside the lavatory and to output lock and unlock commands in response to the signal from the person inside the lavatory; and

,

a lock between the wall and door, the lock being operatively connected to the sensor inside the lavatory, the lock being operable to lock the door in the doorway to the wall in response to the lock output command by the sensor inside the lavatory and to unlock the door in the doorway from the wall in response to the unlock output command by the sensor inside the lavatory.

8. The lavatory of claim 7, further comprising:

the motor assembly being operatively connected to the sensor inside the lavatory, the motor assembly being operable to open the door in the doorway in response to the unlock output command by the sensor inside the lavatory.

9. The lavatory of claim 7, further comprising:

the sensor inside the lavatory being operatively connected to a mechanical device that is operable to selectively lock and unlock the lock in response to the mechanical device being touched by a person.

10. A lavatory comprising:

an enclosure having at least one wall;

a doorway opening adjacent the wall;

a door in the doorway opening;

a lock between the door and the wall, the lock being operable to selectively lock the door in the doorway opening to the wall and unlock the door in the doorway opening from the wall;

a motor assembly operatively connected between the enclosure and the door, the motor assembly being operable to selectively open and close the door in the doorway opening;

a cavity extending into at least one of the door and the wall, the cavity being defined by at least one cavity sidewall that extends into at least one of the door and the wall;

a first sensor outside the lavatory and on the cavity sidewall inside the cavity, the first sensor being operable to detect a signal in close proximity to the first sensor inside the cavity from a person outside the lavatory and to output an enter command to the motor assembly to cause the motor assembly to open the door in the doorway in response to the first sensor detecting the signal from the person outside the lavatory; and

,

a second sensor inside the lavatory, the second sensor being operable to output an occupied command to the motor assembly to cause the motor assembly to close the door in the doorway and to output the occupied command to the lock to cause the lock to lock the door to the wall in response to the second sensor detecting a person entering the lavatory through the doorway.

11. The lavatory of claim 10, further comprising

the cavity extending generally horizontally into a generally vertical surface of at least one of the door and the wall.

12. The lavatory of claim 10, further comprising:

a third sensor inside the lavatory, the third sensor being operable to output an exit command to the lock to cause the lock to unlock the door in the doorway and to output the exit command to the motor assembly to cause the motor assembly to open the door in the doorway in response to the third sensor detecting a signal from the person inside the lavatory.

13. The lavatory of claim 10, further comprising:

the first sensor being operable in response to the first sensor detecting a motion signal from the person outside the lavatory.

14. The lavatory of claim 13, further comprising:

a mechanical device in combination with the first sensor, the mechanical device being operable to output a mechanical command to the motor assembly to cause the motor assembly to open the door in the doorway in response to the mechanical device being contacted by the person outside the lavatory.

15. The lavatory of claim 10, further comprising:

the first sensor being operable in response to the first sensor detecting a heat signal from the person outside the lavatory.

16. The lavatory of claim 10, further comprising:

the second sensor being operable to output an unoccupied command in response to the second sensor detecting a person exiting the lavatory through the doorway; and

,

the first sensor being operable to output the enter command to the motor assembly to cause the motor assembly to open the door in the doorway only when the second sensor outputs the unoccupied command.

17. The lavatory of claim 16, further comprising:

the second sensor being operable to output the unoccupied command to the motor assembly to cause the motor assembly to close the door in the doorway in response to the second sensor detecting a person exiting the lavatory through the doorway.

18. The lavatory of claim 10, further comprising:

the first sensor having a visual indicator associated with the first sensor that provides visual indications to the person outside the lavatory of when the lavatory is unoccupied and occupied.

19. The lavatory of claim 10, further comprising:

the lock having a manual override outside the lavatory that is operable to manually selectively lock and unlock the door in the doorway.